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In wracking my brain on what, if anything, I had done to cause the issue, the only thing different was I had turned on the rear window defroster when driving the car earlier in the day. There were no issues while driving and the car sat for about 2 hrs before starting and getting the smoke in the cabin and melted insulation on the drivers side coil wire. This all happened within 30 seconds of starting the car and when I saw the smoke I immediately turned the car off and popped the hood to find out source.
The wire that runs from the coil into Q12 then onto the input side of fuse #7 has lost its insulation over the entire length of the wire. Oddly enough, the insulation of the other two wires that go to the coil was not affected.
My main concern is finding the cause before I replace all the wiring as I don't want to have this happen again.
So my question is, could the rear window defroster or switch cause the short?
Have you put meter on it to see if it still reads to ground? That's a dead short to ground to cause enough current to melt the insulation.
Find your grounded component or wires.
I've never heard of coils shorting. Not saying it's impossible. Just never heard of one. Kinda looks that way though. Analog 'lectric experts will know.
Howver, you can check the coil for a short across the terminals with your meter. Is the coil body damaged? What about the aux ground wire from the coil clamps?
On the wiring, you'll need to spend hours with your eyeballs and continuity meter.
Start at the plugs to the coil amplifiers.
Or,start looking at wiring in reverse order of service tasks done. Something was damaged or misrouted at some point.
Fuse panel is nasty. More eyeball and meter time.
Your next fire starter is the ABS power line that's being squeezed between the PS fluid reservoir and the ABS pump. It should be routed under and behind the black bracket.
I have been able to spend a little time tracing the wires and trying to find out where the short occurred. There had been no recent work done on the car, the only thing I had done differently was actually turn on the rear hatch defrost.
When the wire going from Q12 up to the input of fuse 7 melted the insulation it also melted insulation across several other wires on back of CE panel.
I have a donor panel from Kevin in Atlanta and my question is that my 87 has CE panel part # 928 610 105 16 nd the donor panel, has 928 610 105 14. Is there any difference between the to panel versions?
yes thats why the different part numbers.
no telling what the differences are.
hopefully Alan will chime in,
he is the authority on CE panel configurations specs
yes thats why the different part numbers.
no telling what the differences are.
hopefully Alan will chime in,
he is the authority on CE panel configurations specs
Stan, in reviewing Alan's post on subject (#94) https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...l-years-7.html
it shows 16 for 87 and 88 and 14 isn't even listed. We got the panel out of an 87 so looks like there was a switch in the production year, just wonder what the differences are between early and late 87s.
yes thats why the different part numbers.
no telling what the differences are.
hopefully Alan will chime in,
he is the authority on CE panel configurations specs
Here's the thing. What Kevin did not mention is that my early 87 has the identical part number (.14). The CE panel I pulled from a wrecked 88 had a .16.
01-21-2017, 05:47 PM
Burnt wires - starts at the DS coil
